Hide
Hide. At the very least, whoever owned this office wasn’t here right now, so you were able to bury yourself deep in a closet full of scrolls and tomes. You waited patiently, ready for any sign of a person entering the room.
After what felt like hours, you heard the barrier dispersed with a small whooshing sound, and only then were you able to hear the sorcerer shouting orders at their guards.
“-FIND THEM. Yes I KNOW you checked all the exits but check them again!”
Sounds shuffled around you for a few minutes and then you heard footsteps pounding back out the door. And the important part was that you kept hearing them. The barrier wasn’t put back up. As carefully and quietly as possible you snuck your way out the door and down the hall. A large spiral staircase seemed to be the only way down, and it would undoubtedly be crawling with guards. Just as you start to formulate a plan, you come face to face with someone you never thought you’d see again. Your brother.
He had been drafted into the army a few years ago, and your family had no contact with him ever since. Both parties' eyes well up with tears as he pulls you into his arms. Then just as quickly he lets go and says
“What are you doing here? No- there’s no time. You have to get out”
He shoves the guard coat he was wearing into your hands and looks around frantically.
“There’s no one here. Put this on and get out. I’ll make a distraction. Tell mom I love her, ok?”
You barely have time to react before he takes off down the hall, shouting about how the intruder was getting away. You start moving down the stairs, telling anyone who questioned you that you were assigned to the bottom entrance. There were a few suspicious looks but the chaos of the search covered everything up.
You let out a sigh of relief as you approached the bottom door, but just as you stepped through, a piercing wail filled your ears. Just your luck. There was a magical alarm. The shouting of the guards grew closer behind you as you started to sprint into the forest. In a panic you fumble for the bag containing the artifact and open it to make sure it was still there. You were a little shocked to see a ring in the bag. You had always assumed it would be something like a dragon egg, or a cursed eye from a demon. But it was just a simple ring.
You slipped it on your finger, making sure it wouldn’t be lost and a tingling sensation washed over you. You were invisible! No wonder the wizard had wanted this ring. You stood in the middle of the road as guards ran past you, shouting for you to show yourself or else. Not a single one touched you, or even noticed you were there. More ran past you, some galloping on spectral horses, and eventually the sorcerer himself, riding a warhorse made of pure shadows. After some time, you saw a lone figure trotting slowly down the road. Your brother! Off came the ring, and you had time for a proper reunion.
He explained that he had been forced into the sorcerer's militia, and had been reluctantly serving ever since, and you told him how you were able to break in and find out what the ring did. He gave you a bag of magic items he had stolen from the tower, and told you to end it once and for all. The sorcerer would be on his way back soon, and if you were able to use the ring, that meant you had magical capabilities. Your brother had found dozens of powerful magical artifacts and weapons, but only one called to you. A shiny black skull with rubies for eyes. It crackled in your hand and you knew exactly what you had to do.
With a grin, you stood in the center of the road, as the sorcerer rode back up. He snarled when he saw you and his staff started to swirl with energy as he floated down from his horse.
“YOU. Do you REALLY think you can stand up to me? I have existed for centuries, studying all types of arcane power. I am the most powerful being this world has ever seen!”
A storm of deep blue lightning gathered around him and he started to recite an incantation. A smirk spread across your face, and your grip tightened on the skull. The wizard’s eyes narrowed, and you saw him start to panic as you lifted it in front of you.
A massive beam of red light erupted from it, so bright that you had to turn away so your eyes didn’t burn.
When you looked back, all that was left was a pile of ash where the wizard once stood. After a few moments of silence the guards around erupted into cheers. Turns out the most powerful being the world had ever seen was no match for a giant death beam from a cursed skull. Who knew.
Ending 8/16